


I Love You When You're Grumpy

by Deannie



Series: I Love You When [9]
Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Drama/Romance, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1997-10-25
Updated: 1997-10-25
Packaged: 2017-12-11 05:26:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/794416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deannie/pseuds/Deannie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>9th in the 'I Love You When' series. You knew it was coming... Jim gets sick--and he definitely doesn't like it!<br/>Sequel to I Love You When You Mother Me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Love You When You're Grumpy

## I Love You When You're Grumpy

by Dean Warner  


Blair was positively bouncing as he entered the Major Crimes area of the Police Station. He was finally finished with his slides and charts for his dissertation defense, and had nothing to do for the next two days but hang out at the station and relax. 

He was surprised not to see Jim at his desk. The detective had said he'd be doing paperwork all day long, but he was nowhere in sight and his desk wasn't covered in half-written reports. 

"Hey Brown?" he called, seeing the stocky detective enter the bullpen. "Do you know where Jim is?" 

"He went home, Hairboy," Brown answered with a shrug. "Looked real sick. Maybe he's got that cold that's going around." 

_Sure he does,_ Blair thought, _because I gave it to him!_

He drove home quickly, thinking about how sick Jim must be to actually take time off for it. Ellison worked, no matter how he was feeling. Which meant he must be _really_ sick.  
  


* * *

Jim was snoring loudly when Blair walked in, and the young man headed quietly up the stairs to the loft, hoping not to wake him. It was a lost cause, as Jim snorted awake and sat up. "Chief?" 

Blair came the rest of the way up to the bedroom, his hands on his hips. "Why didn't you tell me you were so sick?" he demanded. 

Jim grumbled. "I'm fine, Chief. Just didn't want to deal with a cold _and_ paperwork." 

Blair nodded, unconvinced, as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Sure you're fine. You've got a fever, Jim!" 

Jim brushed his hand away. "I'm _fine!_ " He tried to get up from the bed, but Blair held him down. "Let me up, Chief. I need some aspirin." 

"I'll get it, Jim," Blair argued, rising quickly and heading downstairs. He set the kettle boiling and went to the bathroom to get the aspirin. 

"Chief, come on!" Jim grumbled irritably from the loft. "I could have come down there and gotten it myself by now!" 

"I'm coming, Jim!" Blair called out, an edge to his voice. "Hold your horses!" 

He waited for the kettle to boil, and dropped tea leaves into a cup. It was another minute before he mounted the steps to the bedroom again, and Jim had started on more griping. 

"You say you're going to get the aspirin," Jim grumbled. "Just get it, okay? Don't take a year to grow the stuff!" 

"I don't think aspirin _grows,_ Jim," Blair stated, amused, as he set the mug on the bedside table. "But I brought you some tea to go with it." 

"I don't _want_ tea!" Jim exclaimed petulantly, grabbing the glass of water he'd left on the table and snatching the aspirin from his lover. "I just want this headache to go away so I can go to sleep!" 

"You stop yelling," Blair told him evenly. "And the headache will probably go away more quickly." 

Jim muttered angrily, placing the glass on the bedside table. "Whatever." 

"Look, Jim," Blair said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Just because you're sick, don't take it out on me." 

"Why not?" Jim gritted, his eyes closing against the pain in his head. "It's your fault." 

"Yes," Blair agreed, keeping his temper to himself. "But you could have made me sleep on the couch for a week, you know?" 

Jim opened his eyes again, staring at his lover. "I'd never make you do that." 

Blair smiled gently. "Then don't complain because you're sick." He lifted the mug of tea. "Come on, drink your tea." 

Jim fussed a moment, but obediently sat up and sipped at the hot liquid. "Ugh! That tastes _horrible!_ " He resisted the urge to spit. "What _is_ that?" 

"Echinacea," Blair responded easily, not moving the cup from its position. "It'll help you get better." 

"Not if it kills me first," Jim groused. 

Blair had had enough... for the moment. "Look," he said reasonably. "Why don't you just lie back down and get some sleep, okay? I'll be downstairs." 

Jim glared at him for a moment. "Fine." 

The younger man tried not to sigh as he walked back downstairs. A grumpy Jim was much better left alone than argued with.  
  


* * *

Blair had been reviewing his slides for the dissertation for three hours when he heard Jim's plaintive call. 

"Hey, Chief?" 

"Yeah?" 

A long moment of silence. "Can I have some more of that tea?" 

Blair laughed as he rose and headed toward the kitchen. "Starting to believe I actually _know_ something about home remedies, Big Guy?" 

Jim grumbled loudly. "Maybe." 

Blair laughed again, and walked up the steps to the loft a few minutes later, mug of tea in hand. He sat on the edge of the bed, and smiled down at his lover. 

"Feeling better?" 

"No," Jim groaned. "I'm sick." 

"Yes, love," Blair agreed, running a gentle hand down his partner's cheek. "You are." 

"I hate being sick." 

"So I gathered." 

Jim looked up at Blair's patient face and suddenly felt guilty. "I'm sorry I'm so grumpy, Chief," he whispered dejectedly. 

Blair leaned over to kiss him. "I love you when you're grumpy, Jim." 

"You do?" 

"Yes," Blair laughed, reaching out to pull the blanket up over his lover as Jim scrunched back down into the bed. "Even when you're grumpy." 

"You must love me a lot," Jim decided, fighting a yawn and a cough at the same time. " _Nobody_ should love me when I'm grumpy." 

"Well, I do, love," Blair whispered, dropping another kiss on Jim's forehead. "Get some sleep, okay?" 

Jim nodded, his eyes sliding closed, only to snap open again when Blair got up to leave. "Are you coming to sleep?" he asked, feeling and sounding like a little boy. 

"A little later," Blair promised tenderly. "Just go to sleep, okay?" 

Jim yawned. "Okay. Blair?" he asked, as his lover reached the top of the stairs. 

"Yeah?" 

"I love you." 

Blair smiled, looking back at his partner. "I love you, too, Jim," he replied. 

Jim fell happily to sleep, knowing Blair would be in his arms when he woke.  
  


* * *

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